*Houston had a 5-4 lead for half an inning. They have now held a lead to begin an inning in three of their previous 63 innings. There is no explanation. Four of the seven losses have been 1- or 2-run losses. Houston has been outscored 43-19 in these seven games. Hinch:
It's tough when you lose a lead given the week we've had. We're all human, we're all pretty frustrated.
More Hinch:
You feel a little snakebitten when everything has to be perfect for us to piece it together. There are some frustrations that are building just because losing, it sucks. We're not putting things together for an entire game to get a win. You get the lead, there's a lot of momentum. You give the lead right back, it's a little deflating.
Reddick, on being snake-bitten:
Black Mamba-style, yeah. It feels like it's spreading fast and we have to find the antidote.
*This game did not come down to one play but I, for one, am shocked SHOCKED that the Replay Guy in NYC screwed up this Altuve hit.
*Houston had eleven hits and were 1x9 w/RIMFSP. That's two hits in their last 22 ABs with a runner in scoring position. They left 11 on base. They're 7x53 w/RISP during this losing streak.
*Eight of their 11 hits came from the top four in the lineup. The rest of the lineup was a combined 3x19. Houston lost a game in which they struck out three times for the second time the season. The last time was April 22 against the Twins, which they lost 9-5.
*Houston did not ground into a double play this game, for the second time in their last three.
*The Astros vs Adam Ottavino and Zach/k Britton: 11 batters, 0H/0ER, 2K:5BB.
*Yordan Alvarez gave the Astros their half-inning lead with a 3-run homer in the 7th. Reddick (who hit a 2-run home run), on Yordan's homer:
The dugout was really awake for the first time this whole road trip.
The @Astros’ Yordan Alvarez is the fourth player in the modern era (since 1900) to hit six (or more) home runs through his first 11 games in the majors, joining Trevor Story (7), Carlos Delgado (6), and Dino Restelli (6).— Elias Sports Bureau (@EliasSports) June 23, 2019
Alvarez is a bad man 💪🏽— Carlos Correa (@TeamCJCorrea) June 23, 2019
*Hinch flipped the lineup, with Altuve leading off and Bregman batting 2nd:
It's the same hitters hitting in a different order. Sometimes you just have to change for the sake of change to give the lineup a different look. Jose is obviously very confident, and he got a couple hits. Alex in the two-hole has been very good. It's really no more complicated than that. Sometimes you shake it up, even if it's a small shake-up.
*Alex Bregman had two hits for the 16th time this season, and for the first time since June 6.
*Michael Brantley went 3x4 with a walk. It's his 3rd 3-hit game in his last six games.
*Yuli Gurriel, hitting in the #5 spot, was 0x5, dropping him to .258/.293/.389 on the season. He was 0x2 w/RISP. It's the first time he had gone 0x5 since August 17, 2018.
*Tyler White was 0x4 with a walk. He's now hitting .228/.344/.340 but has gotten on base at least once in 12 of his last 13 starts. White is also now 5x34 with runners in scoring position, after flying out to right with the bases loaded in the top of the 9th. He has 17 strikeouts in 43 PAs w/RISP in 2019.
*Wade Miley: 5IP, 2H/4ER, 7K:4BB. It's his 2nd straight start with 4BB. He had made 14 straight starts to open the season with three or fewer walks allowed coming into this L7.
*Austin F. Romine hit the home run in the 7th off of Pressly to tie the game at 5-5. It was his 2nd home run of the year. Romine's SLG on the season is now .307.
*Ryan Pressly: 1IP, 3H/3R (2ER), 2K:0BB, 1HR. It's the first time he has allowed 2+ ER since June 21, 2018, when he was still with Minnesota. Pressly had allowed three runs in 33.1IP in 2019 coming into last night's game. Houston is now 3-1 when Ryan Pressly gives up a run in 2019. Pressly:
When things aren't going your way, they're not going to go your way. Things kind of snowballed on us.
*The Astros are off tomorrow before starting a home series against Pittsburgh on Tuesday in which George Springer is expected to return to the lineup. Springer was 1x3 with three walks in Corpus' 6-4 win in 11 innings (on an Osvaldo Duarte walk-off homer) last night.
Collin McHugh faced three batters in a clean 6th, striking out one. He's nearing the end of his rehab assignment and could be activated Tuesday, while the Astros are approaching Joe Smith's rehab assignment like it's just now Spring Traning. Brandon Bailey threw the final 5IP of the game, allowing 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB. Brandon Bailey (acquired from Oakland in the Ramon Laureano trade) last four outings: 17.2IP, 8H/0ER, 21K:2BB.
*Round Rock's Josh Rojas hit a 1st inning homer off of a rehabbing Craig Kimbrel in Iowa last night. Kimbrel opened the game due to rain, which came, banging the game after five innings.
*Don't miss this Calcaterra/NBCSports article - as I did - from a few days ago featuring an interview with our very own Astros Fans UK and the growing baseball movement in the UK. Good on you, George. He's my 2nd-favorite George in Astrosdom. For all of us who struggle to stay awake past the 3rd/4th inning during West Coast games, George will get three hours of sleep most weeknights so he can watch the Astros.
*Michael Brantley
*Miami's Wilkin Castillo got his first Major League hit in 3,654 days.
A scene in Houston's West End Park in 1914 when the New York Yankees came to play a game against the Houston Buffaloes. pic.twitter.com/4Da3pRyK1a— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) June 22, 2019
*Freddy Adu: I'm not ready to give it up
*A Musical Selection:
